That time Warren Haynes told me that Albert King might be the biggest influence on rock guitar ever

By Steve Newton When it comes to blues guitar, everybody’s got their favourite King. Lots love B.B. Some prefer Freddie. And then there’s others who think Albert is tops. Warren Haynes is one of those. When I interviewed Haynes in October of 1994, he was touring with the Allman Brothers, who were out promoting their … Continue reading That time Warren Haynes told me that Albert King might be the biggest influence on rock guitar ever

That time Gary Rossington told me that Lynyrd Skynyrd would still be together, if not for the crash

By Steve Newton Back in 1986 I interviewed southern-rock legend Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd fame. At the time he had his own band called Rossington, which featured his wife Dale Krantz-Rossington on vocals. That group wasn’t nearly as great as Skynyrd–or the Rossington Collins Band, for that matter–but it was still a real hoot … Continue reading That time Gary Rossington told me that Lynyrd Skynyrd would still be together, if not for the crash

That time Poison Ivy of the Cramps told me that she liked violent-sounding guitar

By Steve Newton If you look up “badass female guitarist” in the dictionary, you might see a picture of Poison Ivy from the Cramps. Way before the “Me Too” movement was a thing, Poison Ivy was bringing female empowerment to rock ‘n’ roll big-time, churning out fierce rockabilly licks on a big orange Gretsch while … Continue reading That time Poison Ivy of the Cramps told me that she liked violent-sounding guitar

Album review: Blue Öyster Cult, Heaven Forbid (1998)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, JULY 9, 1998 By Steve Newton Don’t let the cheapjack horror-movie cover fool ya, ’cause Heaven Forbid—Blue Öyster Cult’s first new recording since 1988’s substandard Imaginos—is one classy slab of hard rock. It’s not a masterwork in the league of Tyranny and Mutation or Agents of Fortune, but … Continue reading Album review: Blue Öyster Cult, Heaven Forbid (1998)

Album review: Georgia Satellites, In the Land of Salvation and Sin (1989)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 1, 1989 By Steve Newton You’ve gotta like a band like the Georgia Satellites–they know what they do best, and the just keep doin’ it. On their first two albums they made pulverizing boogie-blues their one-and-only forte, and on their excellent third album they’ve not only kept the … Continue reading Album review: Georgia Satellites, In the Land of Salvation and Sin (1989)

That time Buddy Guy told me about Muddy Waters bringing him sandwiches when he was hungry

By Steve Newton Here’s an interesting tidbit from the first interview I did with Buddy Guy, back in 1991. At one point in the conversation I asked Buddy about this story in his record-company bio about the time he was starving in Chicago and Muddy Waters “force-fed him salami sandwiches”. Have a listen: To hear … Continue reading That time Buddy Guy told me about Muddy Waters bringing him sandwiches when he was hungry

That time I asked Allman Brothers guitarist Warren Haynes about working with legendary producer Tom Dowd

By Steve Newton that’s Dowd on the far left, hangin’ with Warren and the Brothers By Steve Newton Legendary producer Tom Dowd has worked with some of the biggest names in the music biz, including–as Warren Haynes points out in this audio excerpt from 1994–Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and John Coltrane. But it was Dowd’s … Continue reading That time I asked Allman Brothers guitarist Warren Haynes about working with legendary producer Tom Dowd

The Drive-By Truckers’ 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome

By Steve Newton So far I’ve posted these wacky “20 best songs” lists for some of my fave bands from the ’70s, including Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Sabbath, Robin Trower, Van Halen, AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, and Thin Lizzy. When I decided to compile one for the Drive-By Truckers, who are … Continue reading The Drive-By Truckers’ 20 best songs, from wicked to freakin’ awesome

That time I asked Buddy Guy why he was such a huge influence on Clapton and Beck

By Steve Newton Buddy Guy is one of the most influential guitar players of all time, having been a major inspiration for the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck. When I did my first interview with Guy, back in August of 1991, he had just released his album Damn … Continue reading That time I asked Buddy Guy why he was such a huge influence on Clapton and Beck

Album review: Joe Satriani, Flying in a Blue Dream (1989)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 15, 1989 By Steve Newton Joe Satriani is the ultimate hero for air guitarists. When he burst on to the mainstream recording scene with the all-instrumental Surfing With the Alien last year, his high-voltage attack had people everywhere going, “What the hell is that?” Not since Eddie Van … Continue reading Album review: Joe Satriani, Flying in a Blue Dream (1989)

Album review: Aerosmith, Pump (1989)

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, OCT. 6, 1989 By Steve Newton Some bands grow old gracefully, mellowing with age, but not Aerosmith. On Pump, the follow-up to the band’s 1987 comeback album Permanent Vacation, the bad boys from Boston are as rude ‘n’ rowdy as ever. And nobody does it better. Pump kicks off … Continue reading Album review: Aerosmith, Pump (1989)

That time I asked Warren Haynes if the spirit of southern rock was alive and well in 1994

kirk west photo By Steve Newton The spirit of southern rock was alive and well when I was a music-crazed teenager in the seventies. Skynyrd, Hatchet, Blackfoot, Outlaws, Allmans: I ate it up. Then the eighties came along and the sound of the south took a nosedive, popularity-wise. But back in the early ’90s the … Continue reading That time I asked Warren Haynes if the spirit of southern rock was alive and well in 1994

That time I asked Doc Neeson if the Angels/Angel City were inspired by their longtime friends AC/DC

By Steve Newton Way the funk back in 1985 I did my one and only interview with Doc Neeson, frontman for Angel City, who were known as the Angels in their native Australia. I thought Angel City were an awesome band. They put out an album called Face to Face that–with killer tracks like “Take … Continue reading That time I asked Doc Neeson if the Angels/Angel City were inspired by their longtime friends AC/DC